This project will examine the influence of daily stressful events on alcohol consumption, and consumption-related consequences among young and midlife adults by exploiting new data from the first nationally representative daily diary study. Testing an expanded affect regulation model it is hypothesisized that different characteristics of stressful events, including its origin (e.g., work versus family), type )e.g., argument versus tension), focus (e.g., respondent focused versus other focused), nature (e.g., loss, danger, disappointment), and severity will have a differential impact on alcohol-related outcomes. It is further hypothesized that socioeconomic outcomes, and that psychosocial features of both work and family (e.g., decision latitude, family emotional support) will buffer the effects of stressful events on alcohol consumption. This project will capitalize on the hierarchical organization of the data by using powerful, innovative multilevel modeling techniques to simultaneously estimate intra- individual and between-individual differences in alcohol-related outcomes. It is anticipated that the results of this project will inform the design of a larger, more comprehensive study of the association between daily stressful experiences, nested within a larger psychosocial milieu (e.g., personality/dispositions, feelings of control and master, psychological wellbeing, social integration), and alcohol-related outcomes.